Kia ora THE The latest International Visitor Survey results are a strong reminder of the value tourism delivers for New Zealand. International tourism contributed $14.3 billion to New Zealand’s economy in the year to June 2026, up 20% on the previous year. Tourism continues to be one of our major economic contributors and remains New Zealand’s second-largest export earner.
It is particularly encouraging to see strong spend growth from our top three visitor markets. Australia contributed $4.4 billion in the 12 months to June 2026, up 25%; the United States contributed $2.2 billion, up 20%; and China contributed $1.5 billion, up 26%. Arrivals continue to grow too, up 9% in June 2026. New Zealand’s audience remains confident, with 85% saying they would be confident to travel in the next 12 months. We now have the largest number of people ever considering a visit to New Zealand, at 183 million. This means we have a larger pool of potential visitors to reach with our marketing, putting New Zealand in a good position heading into summer.
_____________________________________________________ I have been offshore over the last couple of weeks and it was great to be in market meeting with key partners. I started my trip in London and attended the premiere of Gary Barlow’s Food and Wine Tour: New Zealand, a six-part ITV series showcasing Aotearoa New Zealand’s world-class food and wine, alongside the people, places and experiences that make New Zealand unique. It was a strong reminder of the power of storytelling to build desire for New Zealand in a market where we still see significant opportunity, despite challenging global conditions impacting the region. The UK remains an important long-haul visitor market for New Zealand, attracting 196,000 visitors in the year to June 2026. Read more about it here.
I then went on to China, where we partnered with China Southern Airlines to announce peak-season capacity increases from Guangzhou to Auckland (from 14 to 18-times-weekly) and Christchurch (from seven to 10-times-weekly) from December to mid-February. Together we are undertaking joint-venture activity in market to support our work to grow arrivals from our third largest visitor market. China continues to be an important part of New Zealand’s visitor mix, and building momentum ahead of the peak travel season is a key focus.
Watch this space for more China campaign activity and opportunities to grow your China market readiness in the coming weeks.
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